Search - Max Graham :: Transport 4

In this the year of Progressive, a mix set that stands out

Douglas A. Greenberg | Berkeley, CA USA | 05/22/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"2001 has been a glorious year for fans of what's come to be called "progressive," a kind of electronic hybrid between trance and progressive house, with an occasional added dose of techno. There have been outstanding mix cd's released by Britons John Digweed, Dave Seaman, and Nick Warren, and also a spate of superb mixes from lesser-known North American dj's including John Debo, Jerry Bonham, DJ Hardware, Liam Kennedy, Emit, Max English, and on and on. With this veritable torrent of terrific music already crowding the music shop shelves, there was the danger that Canadian Max Graham's contribution, the fourth installment in the popular Tranceport series (now renamed "Transport") might be relegated to "me, too" status, just another good-but-not-memorable cd to place on the stack of discs next to one's player. But noooooooo. . . This is instead one of the very finest releases of 2001, a brilliantly mixed package that stands up to repeated listenings and still provides new pleasures with each new exposure. It's not simply that Graham has selected fine compositions and remixes for his set; he's also sequenced and mixed them to veritable perfection. CD one begins slowly, including some alluring East Indian effects at the start of the first track, "2 Heavy" by Deep Funk Project. By the third track, things head toward the highly percussive/housey with Peace Division dub of Boy Versus Girl's "Boom," followed by Ben Pound's hypnotic "Turned." Throughout the set, Graham knows just when to pick up the tempo and energy levels and then when to slow things down. The set moves toward higher energy with Blackwatch's dub of Greed's "Strange World" and then things gradually slow down with Sugarglider's "Slow Motion," featuring pulsating background synths that are positively mesmerizing. The tempo picks up partway through Mad Dogs' breakbeat-driven "Sudden Journey," but then the mood shifts briefly toward near-chillout ambience with the semi-operatic strains of Murph's "Dark Sympathy." This track merges seamlessly and gloriously into the more uptempo Hybrid dub of "Vernon's Wonderland." The first set approaches its conclusion by means of a dramatic pause between Graham's own "Tell You" and the finale, Ogenki Clinic's "First Light."As is often the case with two-cd progressive mixed sets, the second cd is a bit more uptempo overall, featuring such intense pieces as Graham's own "Shoreline." Still, there is enough variation in the styles to render this another true musical journey, rather than simply a series of great tracks. Timo Maas' "No Trance" offers some big 'whooshy' effects layered over an infectious beat; Ayumi Hamasaki's "Vogue" includes some acid-tweakiness along with some lovely background synths, whispered vocals, and another instrumental effect that resembles an African mbira. This, in turn, merges gorgeously into a live version of Hybrid's "High Life," which includes a dramatic dropout section in which tension builds prior to the piece's driving conclusion, featuring organ-like synths that are bold and dancey without being the least bit cheesy. "High Life" blends seamlessly into Underworld's dark-ish "Kittens," in which a unrelenting tapping/twanging rhythmic foreground is overlain by a haunting and powerful electronic symphony. The mood then shifts toward the driving beats and Middle Eastern-flavored vocals of Conjure One's "Redemption." Graham brings the set home with Private Taste's shimmeringly trancey "First," which mellows midway just enough to bring "Transport 4's" lengthy musical journey to a satisfying conclusion.Despite the fact that this cd's release was delayed from its original target date, the sounds overall are still fresh and new, and there are few tracks that most listeners will have already heard on other mixes. This makes this set a "must-have" for all fans of progressive. Still, the music is accessible enough overall for casual fans of this genre that it can be recommended to anyone who is curious as to what this fabulous contemporary style of electronic dance music is all about."

Masterpiece

sonofnitrous | Nepean, Ontario Canada | 05/17/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Max Graham is an amazing DJ, this double CD only reinforces my belief that more people should be made aware of this great untapped talent. Part of Max's career was spent spinning at the premier club in Ottawa "Atomic". Just earlier this year he returned and played an amazing set at Atomic, it was the first time I'd ever heard him spin live. This double CD set manages to take the energy he puts into his sets and lets you bring it home. Anyone who like trance or progressive should DEFINITELY pick up this CD, otherwise they'd be missing what could be the best release in this genre so far this year and perhaps longer. I would put the quality, track selection, and mixing right on par with any CD set ever released by Global Underground, Tranceport, ar any major label by that matter. Essential."

Transport Shines Again With Unknown Max Graham

Colin Allrich | Los Angeles, CA | 06/26/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Since its explosion in 1998 with the now (so-called) "greatest DJ ever" Paul Oakenfold, This series of 4 to the floor, power trance has made its way into even rock fans hands. So where do you go after big names like Sandra Collins and Dave Ralph grace your series? How about some fairly unknown Canadian DJ? Sounds good to me. I am so grateful to the Kinetic crew for taking the series in this direction, for all I knew Ferry Corsten would be the next in line. Thank god for Max Graham.Max's wonderful twist on the series is so fresh and well needed. He has masterfully selected tracks that show you how deep you can fall into a DJ's set. This set is moody, dirty and all around invigorating. You won't find the cheesy "Epic", over played trance that we've heard way to many times. Instead Max seamlessly mixes the Nu Skool Breaks trio Hybrid over killer hard, deep, & progressive tracks by the amazing Blackwatch and Murph to name two. Disc one is set up like the introduction, drawing you inside Max's head. It's a bit slow going at first but when Greed's "Strange World (Blackwatch Mix)" drops in, hold on cuz its gonna be one hell of a ride. Move to disc two where things get dirty with Tata Box Inhibitors marvelous "Freet" that's mixed perfectly into Timo Maas's killer tech-funk trance piece "No Trance". The disc peaks with (my all-time favorite group) Underworld's great track "Kittens".There is nothing for me to complain about with this Transport, nothing is amiss and Max has started his Superstar DJ career with a bang. Pick this one up and leave that Oakenfold on the shelf.If you dig this great mix, I'd recommend Timo Maas's new mix CD "Connected" and Seb Fontaine's "Prototype 4"."